This is a zine dedicated to black metal written by a follower of the left hand path, This zine has been around in a different format for a while and I have decided to make an edition for www.blogger.com, for more information email occultblackmetalzine@yahoo.com, new albums as well as classic albums will be reviewed on here as long as their good quality black metal,

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Arsaidh are a 1 man band from Scotland that plays atmospheric Celtic black metal and this is a review of their 2013 album "Roots" which was released by Darker Than Black Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the folk instruments and keyboards bring a very dark, atmospheric, epic and Celtic sound to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound to them.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast atmospheric black metal riffs that utilize a great amount of melody in the riffing as well as some raw and primitive sounding elements, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars they use finger picking ans full chords to add some medieval elements to the recording.

Vocals are mostly deep sounding black/pagan metal vocals with some whispers being utilized at times as well as some clean singing, while the lyrics cover Scottish Heritage and Paganism, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound to it while you can still hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording with the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Arsaidh are a very great sounding atmospheric Celtic black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Roots" and "A Highland Lament". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Cult Of Apophis are a band from Port Huron, Michigan that plays a mixture of dark black metal and doom and this is a review of their self released 2013 demo "Murder House Demos Volume 1".

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with not much in the way of blast beats, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine raw and primitive black metal with doom to create a sound of their own and there are no guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Vocals range from grim sounding high pitched black metal screams to deep growls with some clean singing and spoken word parts being used on the last song, while the lyrics cover dark themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive demo sound to it

In my opinion Cult Of Apophis are a very great sounding hybrid of primitive black metal and dark doom metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Hills Of Eyes". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Abhorer where a band from Singapore that played a very heavy, raw and primitive sounding hybrid of war, black, death and thrash metal and this is a review of their 1993 7 inch "Upheaval Of Blasphemy" which was released by Shivadershana Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from s low mid paced to fast heavy, raw and primitive sounding riffs that combine early war metal with black, death and thrash metal together to create a sound of their own, while the lead guitars are very chaotic sounding black/death metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are all deep black/death metal growls and screams, while the lyrics cover satanic and blasphemous themes, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Abhorer where a very great sounding heavy, raw and primitive hybrid of war, black, death and thrash metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out t his band. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Heathendom Incarnate". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Blood Haven where a band from Arizona that played a very heavy, raw and primitive form of anti christian satanic black/death metal and this is a review of their self released 2005 album "Religious Suffocation".

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very raw and primitive sounding with some dark sounding melodies and death and thrash metal influences being thrown into the riffing and there are no guitar solos or leads present on this recording, as for the acoustic guitars they are only used briefly on the last song to add some dark atmosphere to the recording.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deep death metal growls being utilized at times as well as some horror movie samples, while the lyrics cover Satanism, Darkness, Hateful and Anti Christian themes, as for the production it has a very heavy, raw and primitive sound while you can still hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording with a couple of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Blood Haven where a very great sounding heavy, melodic raw and primitive anti christian satanic black/death metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Hellfire" "Shards Of Crystal" "Dwelling In Evil Revelations" and "Into The Arms Of Satan". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Nox Mortis where a band from Germany that played a very atmospheric form of dark/black metal and this is a review of their 1996 album "Im Schatten Des Hasses" which was released by Prophecy Productions.

Drums range from slow to mid paced playing with not much in the way of fast playing or blast beats, while the synths bring a very dark and atmospheric sound to the recording, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound to them.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to mid paced riffs that combine dark, black and doom metal together to create a sound of their own with some melody being thrown into the riffing, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding heavy metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals a re mostly grim sounding black metal s creams along with some deep death metal growls, whispers, clean singing female vocals and spoken word parts, while the lyrics are written in a mixture of German and English and cover dark and depressive themes, as for the production it h as a very strong, powerful, heavy and dark sound with some of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Nox Mortis where a very great sounding atmospheric hybrid of dark, black and doom metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Lost In Selfhate" and "Castle Of Eternity". RECOMMENDED BUY.

This is a review of a split album between Florida's Kult Of Azazel and Pennsylvania's Vrolok called "Feast Of Sacrilegious Impurity" which was released in 2006 and we will start of the review with Kult Of Azazel a band that has been featured before in this zine with a musical style that I would describe as being raw and primitive sounding satanic black metal.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very raw and primitive sounding with some dark sounding melodies being thrown into the riffing at times and there are no guitar solos or leads present on this recording.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding and high pitched black metal screams with some deep growls being utilized at times, while the lyrics cover Satanism and Anti Christian themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it while you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on t heir side of the recording with some of the songs being recorded live.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Kult Of Azazel and if you are a fan of this band, you should check out their side of the split. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Blood, Death And Damnation" and "Oculus Infernum". RECOMMENDED.

Next up is Vrolok a band that plays a very raw and primitive form of occult ambient/black metal.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the synths which are only used briefly bring a very dark, atmospheric and ambient sound to the recording, as for the bass playing it has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very dark, raw and primitive sounding with some melody being used at times, while the lead guitars are very distorted sounding black metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are all high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics cover Occultism, Existentialism and Abstract themes, as for the production it has a very dark, r aw and primitive sound to it while you can still hear all of the musical instruments that are present on their side of the recording.

In my opinion Vrolok are a very great sounding raw and primitive occult ambient/ black metal band and if you are a fan of t his musical genre, you should check out their music. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Unholy Interfactor" and "Devotion". RECOMMENDED.

In my opinion this is a very great sounding split and I would recommend it to all fans of satanic and occult black metal. RECOMMENDED BUY.

Lilitu are a band from Georgia that started out as a more atmospheric dark/black metal band but evolved into an atmospheric melodic black/death metal band with t his is a review of their 2004 album "The Delores Lesion" which was released by The End Records.

Drums range from s low to mid paced drumming with only a small amount of fast playing and blast beats being present on this recording, while the keyboards are very dark, progressive and atmospheric sounding, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound to them.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine dark, black, doom, and melodic death metal together to create a sound of their own, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding black/death metal guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars when t hey are utilized they use finger picking and full chords to add some progressive elements to the recording.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black/melodic death metal screams and growls with some clean singing being utilized at times as well as a brief use of spoken word parts and female vocals, while the lyrics cover dark and depressing themes, a s for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound to it with a couple of the songs being long and epic in length and you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Lilitu are a very great sounding hybrid of dark, black, doom and melodic death metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "The Dolores Lesion" "Desolation Breeds" and "Dark Haired Girl". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Dawn Of Azazel are a band from New Zealand that plays a very brutal sounding hybrid of war, black and death metal and this is a review of their 2005 album "Sedition" which was released by Unique Leader Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with a great amount of brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars and at times they have a very powerful sound to them.

Rhythm guitars range from s low, mid paced to fast heavy and brutal riffs that combine war, black and death metal together to create a sound of their own, while the lead guitars which are only used briefly are very chaotic sounding death metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals range from deep death/thrash metal growls that are very easy to understand as well as some high pitched screams being used a t times, while the lyrics cover violent and anti christian themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, brutal and heavy sound to it where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Dawn Of Azazel are a very great sounding heavy and brutal hybrid of war, black, and death metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Spare None" "The Road To Babalon" "Violence And Uncleanliness" and "Master Of The Strumpets". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Reign Of Erebus where a band from the United Kingdom that played a very atmospheric, raw and primitive form of black metal and this is a review of their 2001 album "Humanracist" which was released by Blackend Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while the keyboards bring a very dark and atmospheric sound to the music, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast raw and primitive sounding black metal riffs with some atmospheric melodies being thrown into the riffing as well as some thrash influences, while the lead guitars are very chaotic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some deeper vocals being utilized at times as well as some spoken word samples, while the lyrics cover Luciferian, Satanism, Violence and Anti Christian themes, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Reign Of Erebus where a very great sounding heavy, atmospheric, raw and primitive black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Stormwinds Of Lucifer" "Funeral Of the Nazarene" and "Inquisition: Christ". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Acolyte are a band from England that plays a very grim form of progressive black metal and this is a review of their 2013 album "Alta" which will be released by Mordgrimm Records.

Drums range from slow to mid paced drumming with some fast playing and blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced, to fast progressive black/dark metal riffs that utilize a good amount of dark sounding melodies as well as a brief use of soft and clean playing with the riffing being more blackened and dark than most bands of this genre, while the lead guitars are very melodic and progressive sounding black metal guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars they use finger picking and full chords to add more progressive elements to the recording.

Vocals range from grim sounding black metal screams to deep growls, while the lyrics cover Personal, Anti Religion and Lovecraft themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and dark sound to it with some of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Acolyte are a very great sounding progressive black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Charybdis" "The Nameless Expanse" and "The Ashenground". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Hessian are a band from Belgium that plays a mixture of raw and primitive sounding black metal and dark hardcore and this is a review of their 2013 album "Manegarmr" which was released by Southern Lord.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some brutal sounding blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast riffs that combine raw and primitive sounding black metal with dark tone as well as throwing in some melody in the riffing, while the lead guitars when they are utilized are old school style hardcore punk guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use full chords to add more darkness to the recording.

Vocals range from hardcore style growls to high pitched black metal screams, while the lyrics cover dark themes along with a touch of Norwegian Mythology, as for the production it has a very dark, heavy, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Hessian are a very great sounding hybrid of black metal and dark hardcore and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should c heck out this band. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Serpent's Whisper" "Plague Monger" "Swallowing Nails" and "Mother Of Light". RECOMMENDED BUY.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the project for those that have never heard of you before?

1-Frostagrath is a one man depressive black metal band from Cairo,Egypt in 2011. it holds the

concepts : Melancholy,Negativety and Death,I adopted also the concept The Dark Side Of Life. so i try to get out what's on my head and put it all in the lyrics and the music.

I released a Demo entitled A DEPICTION OF MELANCHOLIC REALITY in nov.2012 then i released my first full-length entitled A JOURNEY OF INFINITE SORROW in 19.Feb.2013

Then finally i just released a single entitled INTO A DIMENSIONAL TIMELESS VOID

in 11March 2013

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

2-I think i am a little bit satisfied about the sound quality,because i want to transfer my anger ,

emotions and anxiety into it , so there come the necessity of the raw sound of the instruments.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

3-I try to fill the lyrics with hatred,darkness i can do,and i try to ensure that we will eventually

die and we will be tormented,and life is just an illusion we are trapped within it.

4. Can you tell us a little bit more about the project name?

4- I am a very big fan of Nargaroth,Gorgoroth...so i went that way,and in the same time i wanted

a name that defines the music of the project. so i came up at the beginning with FROST , then

i added AGRATH ,you may consider it as a tribute to these two great bands.

5. You call yourself Lord Mist, can you tell us what was it that interested you about this name to use it for your projects?

5-Since i was a child and i have always been interested in Mist,Fog,Blizzards...it's something that can lead someone to his death.and there is also another hidden reason is that sometimes i feel like if i am like a mist, blurred ; No one can know exactly what is going on inside me or inside my mind.

6. Currently there is only one member in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you choose to remain solo?

6-No,i prefer working alone,because i can get out the exact emotions as i feel into my music.My

cousine helped me with the mixing and mastering sometimes.but i have no interest in letting others compose with me .

7. The new album came out on Visionaire Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

7-Visionaire Records is a promising record label from Italy Formed in 2011 i guess,and i think they will have a very good future .

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of depressive black metal?

8-Actually the results was amazing,it make a big success,specially because i don't recall that we have Depressive black metal bands here in Egypt,people don't expect this genre to come from a country like Egypt , so i think i make a difference even if it was a small difference about how the others thinks about the metal scene here .

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

9-My next release will be totally different from any Frostagrath's previous releases,it will be

something remarkable,it will include a better sound quality with a lot of melancholic melodies that emphasise the bitter atmosphere.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

10-I Am more into Depressive black metal and Raw black metal..Although,in some tracks on the previous album the influences of the Sweedish Death Metal band HYPOCRISY are very obvious.

lot more.These days i can't stop listening to ANTI and Nyktalgia they are like gods to me.

11. Alot of bands cover Egyptian Occultism and Mythology in there lyrics but there does not seem to be alot of metal coming from that country except for maybe a few bands, what do you think is the cause of that?

11-This maybe because the extreme music doesn't has so much attention/Fans here in Egypt.a few who are in love with the extreme music for example :DSBM, and maybe because most of people here who doesn't like Metal music , have some weird thoughts and sick-believes about it which make some restrictions about it.I Think they just don't want to know something new.

12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

12-I Don't have a lot of interests, i spend most of my time in creating the music,reading books and learning about languages.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

3-at the end,i want to thank you for this interview and it has been a great honor for me to be on

it ,and i want to tell everyone out there thatYou shouldn't miss the next release because it will be

something for the history ,i think it will be among the greatest ,so Stay tuned ..

Frostagrath are a 1 man band from Cairo, Egypt that plays a very depressive form of black metal and this is a review of their 2013 album "A Journey Of Infinite Sorrow" which was released by Visionaire Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars and on the last song they h ave a very powerful sound to them, as for the synths when they are utilized they bring a very dark ambient and atmospheric sound to the music.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast depressive depressive black metal riffs that utilize a great amount of raw and primitive elements as well as some dark sounding melodies, while the lead guitars which are very rare on this recording are very depressive sounding black metal guitar leads, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use finger picking to enhance the dark ambiance of the recording.

Vocals are all high pitched depressive black metal screams, while the lyrics cover Negativity, Melancholy and Self Hatred, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it with some of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Frostagrath are a very great sounding atmospheric, raw and primitive black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "A Journey Of Infinite Sorrow" and "Buried Among A Bloodsheded Shrine". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Woe are a band from Pennsylvania that has been featured before with a musical style on this new recording I would describe as being atmospheric, raw and primitive sounding black metal with elements of shoegaze and post rock and this is a review of their 2013 album "Withdrawal" which was released by Candlelight Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some brutal sounding blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy and primitive sounding riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast atmospheric black metal riffs that are very, dark, raw and primitive sounding with a good amount of melody, thrash, shoegaze and post rock influences being thrown into t he riffing, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding post black metal guitars and leads which are more extreme and old school metal orientated than most bands of this genre, as for the classical guitars which are only used briefly use finger picking and full chords to add more atmosphere to the music.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding and high pitched black metal screams which are kind of mixed down low in the mix while also utilizing a depressive tone at times while also adding in some clean singing in some parts as well as a brief use of deep growls, while the lyrics cover dark, occult and social issue themes, as for the production it has for the most part a very strong, powerful and heavy sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments on the recording but the vocals are not as loud as the other instruments along with some of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Woe and if you are a fan of this band, you should enjoy this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "This Is The End Of The Story" "Ceaseless Jaws" and "Exhausted". RECOMMENDED BUY.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

We are Arescet, we are from Århus in Denmark, and we play atmospheric black metal. The band was formed by Martin Skyum, Simon Skotte and Andreas Grønkjær in late summer of 2012. Johannes Klein joined on drums and Mikael Rigtrup joined on rythm guitar and a demo called "The Crackling of Embers" was recorded in early 2013. After the release of the demo, we parted ways with Johannes Klein and Mikael Rigtrup, and in late february/early march, Marcelo Freitas and Erik Evensen joined the band, on drums and rhythm guitars respectively.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?

We play atmospheric black metal, but we also try to incorporate elements of other atmospheric genres like post-rock, funeral doom, ambient etc. We have some guidelines but try not to set any limitations for our music.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

On our demo we have two songs. On the first song, "The Crackling of Embers", the lyrical theme is humanity's preservation of nature (or lack thereof). On the second song, "Extinguished", it's more about personal struggles. I'm not sure the lyrical themes will stay the same on our future material or not. That will be up to our vocalist.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

"Arescet" is latin for "it withers". We took the name because it not only reflects our caring for nature, but at the same time it is a metaphor for life in general.

5.Has the band been able to play out live yet or is this a studio project?

Sadly we have not gotten to live gigs yet, but we are planning on doing so in the near future, mostly around our local area. Also because we parted ways with our old drummer and old rythm guitarist, we had to delay live gigs a bit.

6. Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label and if so what kind of label do you feel that would be a perfect fit for the music?

Yes, we are looking for a label. We are looking for a label that specializes in atmospheric music, such as (but not restricted to) black metal and funeral doom. But we are very open to suggestions.

7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and doom metal?

We have had a lot of really good feedback, from fans of black metal and doom metal. A nice amount of people in Denmark are beginning to show some interest in the band, which is something we appreciate very much.

8. Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?

We all see Arescet as our main band, but some of us are working on a funeral doom sideproject called Sunken as well.

9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

We will be following the same direction as we do now, but we might be experimenting a bit more. And with two new members in the line-up, we will try to incorporate their ideas into the music as well.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

We're inspired by bands like Altar of Plagues, Wolves in the throne Room, Agalloch, Woods of Desolation etc. and also new bands like Addaura, Alda, Kólga etc. but we're trying to find our own style. What we listen to ourselves is very varied. But clearly we like atmospheric black metal a lot and also doom metal, post-rock, ambient, thrash metal, neofolk, death metal and so on.

11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

Some of our interests include survivalism, camping, outdoor life etc. but also music in general; listening to music, going to concerts, festivals etc.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?We'd like to thank Occultblackmetalzine and everyone else who has shown interest in our music.

Monday, March 18, 2013

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
We are a 6-headed German post black metal band founded in 2007. Our first album was released in June 2012, our second album will be released in May 2013.

2. How would you describe your musical sound?
We try to combine elements from black metal and post rock, but we don't restrict ourselves to these. Which isn't all that hard, since Camilo and I, writing most of the material for TRÄUMEN VON AURORA, are very different, but equally uncommitted as far as our listening habits are concerned: Camilo tends to listen to a great variety of music, I tend to not listen to any music at all. I do think people who love black metal or post rock can enjoy our music, but I also think there's way more than just these two elements.

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
We never wanted to make an album that consists of an arbitrary succession of songs. With our new album, we continued the story of the first one, which is about a lyrical I having to cope with the loss of an important person. This is both a situation most people can tell you a thing or two about and a topic which can be approached in a number of ways. In this context, we also explore other themes like the tristesse of urban life ("neontot" and "im morgengrauen") or romanticism ("flucht").

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
The name translates to "Dreaming of Aurora". I forgot the exact circumstances of its origins, though. But I know that the phrase was some kind of sudden inspiration I had one evening. Later on, when I needed a name for the band, I must have recognized that it would do greatly, as it reflects both the musical style and the lyrical themes very well. However, I would like to keep my personal interpretation for myself and leave you with the task to find your own.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
We all agree that our show in Erfurt as a support act for Fjoergyn was the best one. We felt very welcome there and apparently enthralled the audience to some extent, resulting in some overly pleasant conversations afterwards. I'm not sure how to describe our stage performance. What I can say is that we don't try to animate people to jump around. They can, of course, as they see fit. But we would also enjoy people just sitting down and listening to the music closely. With that said, we do show our dedication on stage, but don't expect us trying to impose it on others artificially.

6. Do you have any touring plans for the new release?
No. But we'd be glad if some organiser asked us to play.

7. Currently you are signed to TrollZorn Records, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support they have given you so far?
Trollzorn is a great label! Nice people, great support! We were quite lucky under the circumstances. As we parted ways with the Karge Welten Kunstverlag due to conceptual dissent, we were about to send off quite some label applications. One evening, there was an e-mail from Trollzorn. They were interested in buying our first album which had been announced by Karge Welten some time ago. We told them that we were facing some problems with that, which apparently made them consider signing us. A few weeks later we had a new label.

8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
As we had expected, our music is discussed controversially. You cannot name your musical style "post black metal" without some people getting into a fret. But quite a few people seem to be able to enjoy black metal as well as TRÄUMEN VON AURORA, and that's the group we care about.

9. Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?
Camilo has been helping out some friends as a bass player some time ago and Robert is engaged in a second band with a completely different musical style. But that's it. In this regard, Camilo wanted me to emphasize that all the music he writes is exclusive to TRÄUMEN VON AURORA. The same goes for the music I write, except for some BGM tracks I wrote for my RPG Maker project.

10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Our idea is to reanimate the project which TRÄUMEN VON AURORA had been a side band to back in 2007/2008. But we only want to use it as a basis and try to shape it with this new line-up into something more sophisticated, and we are very excited to see what we can make of it. Lyrically, it will be a retreat into nature/romantisicm for the most part, quite similar to "flucht" and "was einst im wind der wälder lag".

11.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Dornenreich and Nocte Obducta were a great influence for me back in the days. Mostly because I hadn't encountered such artistry before as I found it in "Bitter ist's, dem Tod zu dienen" and "Nektar". It instantly appealed to me. Nowadays, I don't listen to music that much, as I said. I just sit down at the computer or at the piano and let it flow, so to speak. I cannot tell to what extent the music I listen to influences this process.

12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Well, I like reading and writing, but also playing computer and video games. Recently, I have been engaged in conceptualising the RPG Maker game I mentioned. Maike is actively involved in the animal welfare and seems to enjoy drinking coffee with friends. Kavi is more of a sportsman. Camilo does all sorts of things, for example writing a drama. Robert works most of the time. Michael plays games, too, and he also just discovered his talent in photography.

13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Well, we hope people like our second album about as much as the first one (or even more), and we are very excited to see what everyone thinks of it. We also would like to thank you for the interesting questions you asked us!

Arescet are a band from Denmark that plays a very atmospheric form of black metal with elements of doom metal and this is a review of their self released 2013 demo "The Crackling Of Embers".

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast atmospheric black metal riffs that utilize some raw and primitive elements as well as some melody and doom metal influences and in the riffing as well as some soft and clean playing being utilized at times, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding post black metal guitar solos and leads..

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams along with a brief use of deep death metal growls being utilized on the last song, while the lyrics cover darkness and nature themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it while you can still hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording with the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Arescent are a very great sounding atmospheric black metal band with elements of doom metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this demo. RECOMMENDED TRACK "Extinguished". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Paragon Belial are a band from Germany that plays a very raw and primitive form of satanic black metal and this is a review of their 1996 album "Hordes Of The Darklands" which was released by Folter Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast old school 90's black metal riffs that are very dark, raw and primitive sounding with some melody being thrown into the riffing at times as well as a brief use of soft and clean playing, while the lead guitars when they are utilized are very raw and primitive sounding black metal guitar leads that do not really go into solos, as for the acoustic guitars they are only used briefly and they use full chords and finger picking to add more darkness to the recording.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding hateful black metal screams along with a small amount of deep growls, while the lyrics cover Satanism, Darkness, and Anti Christian themes, as for the production it has a very dark, raw and primitive sound to it.

In my opinion Paragon Belial are a very great sounding raw and primitive satanic black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Coming Of A New Dynasty" "Horns Of Reprisal" and "Necromancer Of the Dark Valley". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Cadaver Inc where a band that from Norway that played a very heavy, raw and primitive form of Norwegian black metal with elements of thrash and death metal and this is a review of their 2001 album "Discipline" which was released by Wicket World Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some brutal sounding blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast Norwegian style black metal riffs that are very heavy, raw and primitive sounding with elements of thrash and death metal being thrown into the riffing as well as some technical parts along with some melody, while the lead guitars are very chaotic sounding black/thrash metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding and high pitched black metal screams along with a brief use of spoken word samples, while the lyrics cover violent and hateful themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful and heavy sound which does not take away from the raw and primitive nature of the music.

In my opinion Cadaver Inc where a very great sounding heavy, raw and primitive sounding Norwegian black metal band with elements of thrash and death metal and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Primal" "Die Like That" "Killtech" and "Discipline". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Triumphator where a band from Sweden that played a very heavy, raw and primitive form of satanic black metal and this is a review of their 1999 album "Wings Of Antichrist" which was released by Necropolis Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording, as for the keyboards they are only use briefly on one song to enhance atmosphere.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that are very heavy, raw and primitive sounding with some melody being thrown into the riffing at times, while the lead guitars are very chaotic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding black metal screams with some deep growls being utilized at times as well as a brief spoken word part, while the lyrics cover Orthodox Satan Worship, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful and heavy sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording while not taking away from the raw and primitive nature of the album.

In my opinion Triumphator where a very great sounding heavy, raw and primitive satanic black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Infernal Divinity" "Heralds Of Pestilence" and "The Triumph Of Satan". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Crionics are a band from Poland that plays a very atmospheric form of black metal with some death metal elements and this is a review of their 2004 album "Armageddon's Evolution" which was released by Candlelight Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some brutal sounding blast beats being thrown into the music at times, while the synths bring a very dark and atmospheric sound to the recording as well as mixing in elements of classical and industrial, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that utilized a good amount of melody and death metal influences as well as a brief use of thrash elements being thrown into the riffing, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals range from deep death metal growls to high pitched black metal screams as well as a brief use of clean singing and spoken word parts, while the lyrics cover Darkness, Armageddon, Enochain and A. O Spare Occultism themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound to it.

In my opinion Crionics are a very great sounding atmospheric black metal band with death metal elements and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Final Inversion" "Chant Of Rebel Angels" and "Disconnected Minds". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Immeroreal are a band from Sweden that plays a very heavy, melodic, raw and primitive form of black metal and this is a review of their 2001 album "Temple Of Retribution" which was released by Blackened Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the synths which are only used on the intro's and outro bring a very atmospheric and classical music to the album, as for the bass playing it has a very strong, powerful and heavy sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that use some raw and primitive sounding elements as well as mixing in some melody and death metal influences to the riffing and there are no guitar solos or leads present on this recording, as for the acoustic guitars which are only used briefly they use full chords to bring more atmospheric elements to the music.

Vocals are mostly high pitched hateful black metal screams with some deep growls being utilized at times as well as a brief use of spoken word parts and samples, while the lyrics cover Armageddon themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording.

In my opinion Immeroreal are a very great sounding heavy, melodic, raw and primitive sounding black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Curse Of Chaos" "My Will To Power" "Temple Of Retribution" and "Armageddon's Blade". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Carpe Tenebrum where a band from Norway that played a very atmospheric form of Norwegian black metal and this is a review of their 1997 album "Majestic Nothingness" which was released by Hammerheart Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the synths bring a very dark and atmospheric sound to the recording, as for the bass playing it has a very dark tone with riffs that follow the riffing that are coming out of the guitars.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast Norwegian black metal riffs that utilize a great amount of melody in the riffing, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads.

Vocals are mostly grim sounding black metal screams with some spoken word parts being utilized at times as well as a brief use of clean singing, while the lyrics cover darkness and Magick themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful and heavy sound with some of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Carpe Tenevrum where a very great sounding atmospheric Norwegian black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Temptress Luna" "Velvet Claws" and "Sullen Becometh". RECOMMENDED BUY.

Dismal Euphony where a band from Norway that played a very atmospheric form of dark/black metal with gothic elements and this is a review of their 1999 album "All Little Devils" which was released by Napalm Records.

Drums range from slow to mid paced drumming with no fast playing or blast beats being present on this recording, while the keyboards bring a very dark and atmospheric sound to the recording with some gothic elements, as for the bass playing it has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow to mid paced dark/black metal riffs that utilize a great amount of melody in the riffing as well as a good amount of soft and clean playing, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding heavy metal guitar solos and leads, as for the acoustic guitars when they are utilized they use finger picking to add some more dark atmosphere to the music.

Vocals range from high pitched black metal screams, deep death metal growls to clean singing female vocals as well as some whispers being utilized at times in addition there is a brief spoken word parts being used on one song, while the lyrics cover dark and poetic themes, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this album.

In my opinion this was a very great sounding recording from Dismal Euphony and if you are a fan of this band, you probably already own this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Days Of Sodom" "Victory" "Psycho Path" and "Scenario"

Vergelmer where a band from Sweden that played a very melodic, raw and primitive form of satanic black metal and this is a review of their 1997 album "Light The Black Flame" which was released by Cacophonous Records.

Drums range from slow, mid paced to fast drumming with some blast beats being utilized at times, while the bass playing has a very strong and powerful sound with heavy riffing that dominates throughout the recording, as for the synths they are only used briefly and they bring a very dark and atmospheric sound to the recording.

Rhythm guitars range from slow, mid paced to fast black metal riffs that utilize a great amount of melody while still adding some dark, heavy, raw and primitive elements to the riffing as well as some soft and clean playing, while the lead guitars are very melodic sounding black metal guitar solos and leads, as for the classical guitars when they are utilized they use finger picking and full chords to bring more atmosphere to the recording.

Vocals are mostly high pitched black metal screams with some spoken word parts being utilized at times, while the lyrics cover Satanism and Death, as for the production it has a very strong, powerful and heavy sound where you can hear all of the musical instruments that are present on this recording with some of the songs being long and epic in length.

In my opinion Vergelmer where a very great sounding melodic satanic black metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Blessed By Satan" "At War For His Majesty" and "Heaven In Ruins Lay". RECOMMENDED BUY.